Fruits and CuUnre. 375 



the first requirement for success, as unless every leaf and fruit are 

 covered with the spraying material perfect results cannot be expected. 



SHOULD TRKSS BE TOP-WORKED? 



The ordinary nursery tree has been propagated by grafting or 

 budding upon seedling stocks, the union being at or near the surfact 

 of the ground. If suitable stocks have been used, first-class trees can 

 generally be grown in this way, but there are a considerable number 

 of varieties that, when propagated in this way, do not make a satis- 

 factory growth, and, for all such, top-working is advisable. By this 

 is meant grafting or budding upon the branches, or well up on the 

 trunks of trees that are two or more years old. Many nurserymen 

 m.ake a practice of growing certain varieties in this way, but as the 

 tops are easily broken it is better for the fruit grower, who wishes to 

 grow these varieties, to top-work them upon trees that are already^ 

 growing in the orchard. 



In addition to being able to increase the vigor .and improve the 

 form of weak-growing varieties, the hardiness and longevity of many 

 of our most valuable, but somewhat tender, varieties can be increased 

 to a marked degree by top-working them upon some vigorous growing 

 and hardy stock. Such common sorts as the Baldwin, King and Canada 

 Red apple, and the Bosc pear are among those that are greatly bene- 

 fited by top-working. 



Each year millions of trees come into bearing that prove to be un- 

 true to name and in many cases absolutely worthless. The owners 

 have not only lost the first cost of the trees, but, what is many times 

 more, the use of the land and the labor of caring for the trees for from 

 five to ten years. Had the owners planted some standard varieties as 

 stocks, and after one or two years, top-worked them with scions of the 

 desired sorts, taken from bearing trees, they would not only have made 

 sure of the kinds they wished to grow, but would in most cases secure 

 better trees by the top-working. This method of starting an orchard 

 makes it possible to secure what are often spoken of as "a pedigree" 

 trees, as the scions used for top-working can be selected from trees thai 

 are known to be regular bearers and that produce large and perfect 

 fruit. Here and there trees can be found that produce more and bettei 

 fruit than any others in the vicinity, even though they are growing under 

 conditions that are apparently similar, and if the scions are cut from sucii 

 trees the chances are that the improvement will show in the new orchard. 



The adoption of this method of starting an orchard will both lessen 

 the expense of the trees, when new sorts are desired, and reduce the 

 danger of loss from the planting of untested sorts. The new sorts are 



